Tag Archives: health

Sep
9
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 9/9/11

In this week’s roundup… The Unites States adds four top-ranking Venezuelan officials to its list of drug kingpins at the same time that new WikiLeaks cables reveal more ties between the Chávez government and drug trafficking; Irish cardboard maker, Smurfit Kappa Group Plc, will not be compensated for its confiscated land; Chavez’s gold repatriation could further hurt Venezuela’s credit rating; a new poll shows that the majority of Venezuelans disapprove of the Chávez administration’s performance as concerns about his health persist and 12-month inflation rate hits 25.8% through August in Venezuela.

U.S. Sanctions Venezuela Officials, Citing Drug Ties, The Wall Street Journal (By José de Córdoba)

The U.S. added a Venezuelan general, two legislators and a top intelligence official to a kingpins list for their alleged involvement in drug dealing and arms trafficking with Colombian guerrillas, the U.S. Treasury said Thursday.

Caracas Cables: Drug Trafficking Venezuelan Airline? Senator Dodd’s Meeting With Chávez; Wild West Border Region, The Huffington Post

For the past year or so, I’ve been writing steadily about WikiLeaks and U.S. diplomatic correspondence between various American embassies in Latin America and the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Venezuela Says Smurfit Kappa Won’t Be Compensated for Forestry Seizure, Bloomberg

Venezuela won’t compensate Smurfit Kappa Group Plc (SKG) for the seizure of 12,000 hectares of forestry plantations the Irish cardboard maker controlled in the South American country, Agriculture Minister Juan Carlos Loyo said.

ANALYSIS-Venezuela gold repatriation may hurt credit rating, Reuters via TD Waterhouse

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s plan to repatriate the country’s external gold reserves could weaken its credit ratings, causing losses for bondholders while attracting a new wave of high-risk investors. The 57-year-old socialist leader announced last month he was nationalizing the country’s gold industry and bringing back some $11 billion in international bullion reserves that Venezuela holds in banks abroad.

Venezuela poll: Chavez’s popularity unchanged, The Associated Press via Forbes (Also posted on The Washington Post)

President Hugo Chavez’s approval ratings remain in the 50 percent range, but a majority of Venezuelans disapprove of the government’s performance on key issues such as crime, corruption and the economy, according to a poll released Wednesday.

UPDATE: Venezuela’s August CPI Up 2.2% On Month, The Wall Street Journal

12-month inflation rate hits 25.8% Through Last Month – Venezuela’s Inflation Rate Jumps 2.2% In August – Food Prices Continue to Drive Inflation

Chavez expects cancer recovery to stretch, AFP via Emirates 24/7

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday said he would continue his cancer recovery through the end of this year but pledged to be fit and in form to run for reelection in the new year.

 
Jul
1
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 7/1/11

In this week’s round up… Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez breaks his silence, admitting he had surgery in Havana to remove a cancerous tumor; Chavez’s absence from Caracas raises questions about the future of the ruling party, PSUV, and his ability to continue to govern from abroad; Despite the President’s health crisis, the Chavez government continues its attacks against the free press, launching yet another questionable investigation against TV giant Globovision; and Venezuela has faltered in its fight against human trafficking.

Snap analysis: Chavez’s cancer surgery rocks Venezuela, Reuters

President Hugo Chavez’s announcement that he had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor has shaken up Venezuelan politics ahead of what was already looking like a tight race for the 2012 election. In an emotional speech from Cuba where he said he is recovering, the 56-year-old socialist did not give a timetable for his return to Venezuela and did not name a temporary leader. Here are some implications of his announcement:

Health Woes Cause Chávez to Postpone Key Summit, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuela postponed a regional summit to celebrate its 200th anniversary of independence, a move that is fueling widespread speculation that President Hugo Chávez is gravely ill. Mr. Chávez, holed up in a hospital in Cuba since June 10, was slated to host the two-day summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders on the resort island of Margarita on July 5 and 6.

Venezuela To Probe Coverage Of Prison Riot By Local TV Network, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan authorities announced Thursday an investigation into the last major television station in the country openly critical of the government for allegedly attempting to fan civic unrest with what officials called misleading coverage of a prison riot. Globovision, which has been targeted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the past, faces a fine of 10% of gross revenue and could be taken off the air for up to 72 hours for its reports of the ongoing inmate uprising that officials say aimed to generate public unease and disorder.

Venezuela’s endeavors against human trafficking deemed insufficient, El Universal

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released the “2011 Trafficking in Persons Report.” A total of 184 countries, including the United States, were examined in the paper and it is concluded that as many as 27 million people might be living in slavery throughout the world.

 
Jun
24
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 6/14/11

In this week’s roundup… President Hugo Chávez’s illness and absence from the limelight have sparked persistent rumors and speculation about his health and ability to lead; In Chávez’s absence, blackouts, the economy and violence at El Rodeo prison place the president’s actions under harsh scrutiny.

Chávez Illness Sparks Succession Talk, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan officials scrambled Thursday to reassure compatriots that President Hugo Chávez was not seriously ill after his brother said the president would remain in a Cuban hospital for up to 12 more days, making it likely that Mr. Chávez will be away from the country for nearly a month.

The absence has sparked furious speculation about the president’s health and led many in Venezuela to ask: What happens if the former army officer who has ruled Venezuela for 12 years is suddenly incapacitated or even dies?

Venezuela prison stand-off: Families’ anxiety grows, BBC Mundo

Relatives wait for news as some inmates are bussed out on Sunday and a stand-off continues in one part of El Rodeo jail Families are unsure when they will see their imprisoned relatives. On 12 June, a riot in one section of the jail, El Rodeo I, left some 20 people dead.

After surgery, Chavez faces troubles in Venezuela, AP

While President Hugo Chavez has been recovering from pelvic surgery in Cuba, his troubles at home in Venezuela have been accumulating.

Hugo Chávez silence fuels fears of power vacuum in Venezuela, Guardian

President has gone uncharacteristically quiet as he recovers from surgery in Cuba, prompting rumours over his health and warnings of instability.

Power shortages dim Chavez’s reelection hopes, Foreign Policy

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez faces the real possibility that he may lose the 2012 presidential election after more than a decade in office, in part because of his administration’s failure to ensure adequate power supplies.

Is Chavez on the electoral ropes?, The Economist via Star Tribune

Hugo Chavez is unwell. The normally voluble, hyperactive Venezuelan president is running his country from a hospital bed in Havana, after emergency surgery June 10 to deal with a “pelvic abscess” that interrupted the latest of his many visits to Cuba. What caused the abscess, or how severe it was, has not been revealed.